Improvement in reaping and mowing machines



UNTTED STATES PATENT GEORGE S. REYNOLDS, OF TUNBRIDGE, VERMONT, ASSIGNORTO HIMSELF AND FRANCIS A. OUSHMAN, OF LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Let-ters Patent No. 58,026, datedSeptember l1, 1866.

To all when@ it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. REYNOLDS, of Tunbridge, in the county ofOrange and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Reaping and Mowing Machines; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same,reference bein ghad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part ot' thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a plan or top View of my invention,Fig. 2, an end view of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse section of thefinger-bar, taken in the line fr Fig. l.

.Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction "of thefinger or guard and the iingerbar, and also in an improved manner ofconnecting the pitman to the sickle-bar, as well as an improvement inthe driving-gear, and in an improved mode of bracing the tinger-bar, andin attaching the track board or clearer to the finger-bar, all of whichare hereinafter fully described and the particular advantages set forth.

A represents the nge-r-bar, which is of slight taper formlongitudinally, and ot' taper form transversely, so that its uppersurface will be inclined downward from its front to its rear edge, andafford better facility than usual for the cut grass or grain to passover it. (See Fig. 3.) The outer end of the ringer-bar has a lip, B,formed on it, said lip being inclined slightly upward, and extendingback from the rear of the nger-bar and toward the main frame otl themachine. (See Fig. l.)

O is the track board or clearer, which may be constructed ol wood, andattached vto the lip B by a pivot-bolt, a, and is held in properposition by a pin or stop, b, at the inner side of the track board orclearer, said pinporstop preventing the former from descending below acertain distance, in consequence of coming in contact with the upperedge of the lip B, and causing the track board or clearer to be raisedwhen the finger-bar is raised, and when the ngerbar is folded over so asto rest upon the main frame of the machine the track board or clearermay be turned entirely around, so

that the pin or stop will rest or bear upon or against the under edge ofthe lip and be out ot' the way, as shown in red in Fig. 2.

D represents the guards or fingers, which are constructed out of squarebars ot' wroughtiron or steel. It of iron they may be case hardened, tomake them stift' and capable of resisting wea-r. They have steel facingsc, which form' their cutting-edges, and said facings are fastened to theiingers by rivets or otherwise, the rear ends of the facings beingturned down and forming a perpendicular wall, at, for the front surfaceofthe sickle-bar d to work against. (See Fig. 3.) The facings c are oftriangular form, and they project beyond the sides ofthe guards orlingers, so that their cutting-edges will be accessible for sharpening.The guards or lingers are gradually tapered to a point at their frontends, and they are secured to the finger-bar A by rivet-s, their rearparts extending transversely underneath the linger-bar, and secured toit by rivets. The caps d ot' the guards or ngers are welded to them, andthe rear ends of the facings may be provided with lateral wings c, toprevent the grass or grain from gathering or collecting back under thesickle-bar. The iingers run upon the ground, relieving the iingerbar ofwear.

E represents the sickle, which may be constructed in the usualwaytriangular cutters f attached to the bar d.

F represents the pitman or connecting rod by which the sickle is drivenfrom the crankwheel G. This pitman has an eye, g, at its outer end, toreceive a pin, h, which projects from a rib, t', attached to the sickleE. The pin 71, projects from a portion of the rib t' which is rounded,the pin being out o' center with said rounded portion, so that when thesickle is in a working position a slide, j, attached to the pitmau, willlap 'over the wide part or edge j ot' the rounded portion of the rib andprevent the pin slipping out from the eye g, and the slidej cannot beshoved back far enough to admit of the pin h being shoved out from gwhen the sickle is in a working position 5 and in order to detach thesickle it is necessary to fold it over upon the main frame of themachine, so that the narrow part or edge j will be broughtbehind theslide j, when the latter,

TOE.

by being shoved back, will clear the narrow part or edge j", and admitof the pin h being withdrawn from the eye g. By this arrangement thepitman cannot become casually detached from the sickle when the latteris at Work or in a working position.

The finger-bar A is connected to the main frame H ofthe machine by meansof two bars, I I, connected at their `outer ends, and attached to themain frame H by any suitable joint which Will admit of said bars workingup and down in avertical direction. The bars I I diverge from theirouter to their inner ends, forming a fork, and the inner ends of II areformed with eyes lc k, to receive journals l l at the front and rearends of the innermost finger, D, said ends of the finger turned up, asshown clearly in Fig. 2. This connection admits of both the inner andouter ends of the sickle-bar rising and falling bodily, and thesickle-bar is therefore allowed to conform per fectly to uneven surfacesover which it may pass.

The bars II are braced by an oblique rod, J, which is secured by rivetsor bolts to the bars I I, and extends back to the rear part of the mainframe A, and is secured therein in such a nia-nner as to turn freely.The bars I I and rodJ are of iron, and they forni a light and strongconnection between the main frame and finger-bar, and a perfectlyflexible one.

The crank-wheel G is on the front end of a shaft, K, which is of taperforln longitudinally, and works in a taper or conical tubular bearing,L, on the main frame H. The object ot' this arrangement is to compensatefor wear, the shaft K, when worn so as to work loose in the bearing L,being shoved back so as to tit snugly therein, the shaft K having aseries of holes made through it, through any of which a key or pin, m,passes, to hold the shaft in position.

Mis the draft-pole, secured at its rear end to the main frameA by ajoint, a. The draft pole has a lever, N, attached to it, with a toothedsegment, o, at its lower end, which gears into a rack, 0, attached tothe main frame A. By this arrangement the front ends of the fingers maybe elevated or depressed by adjusting lever N.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentr l. Constructing the finger-bar A of taper form in itstransverse section, an'd with a lip, B, at its outer end, in combinationwith the track board or clearer C, attached to the lip B by thepivot-bolt a, and provided with a pin or stop, b, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The securing of the pitman or connecting rod F to the sickle E bymeans of the eye g at the outer end of F, and a slide, j, attached, anda pin, l1., projecting eccentrically from a rounded portion of a rib,t', on the sickle, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. Connecting the finger-bar A to the niain frame H by means of the barsI I and rod J, constructed, arranged, and applied substantially in themanner set forth.

4. The taper driving-shaft K, in combination with the taper or conicalbearing-tube L, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

GEORGE S. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

HENRY FRENCH, E. J. DURANT.

